The state of Georgia reported its first two coronavirus patients, pushing the number of infected
people in the U.S. to 105, according to NBC News. More than 50 people have been diagnosed
with the novel coronavirus within the U.S., excluding those repatriated from China and Japan.

“Anytime you see a disease spread like this it can be pretty alarming,” said Angie Birnbaum,
Director of Biosafety at the Tulane National Primate Research Center.

This fear and concern has prompted Tulane researchers to bring live samples of the Coronavirus
to the Tulane Primate Center on the Northshore, where they hope to find solutions and answer
unknowns about the virus. The research was made possible by grant from the Brown Foundation,
and the team is currently seeking public funding.

“The first thing we want to do is establish a really good animal model to do our research in, and
once we have it we can answer a lot of important questions,” said Dr. Dr. Jay Rappaport,
Director of Tulane National Primate Research Center.

To develop an animal model the team will infect non-human primates with the virus.
” We want to know how the virus mutates, spreads, and how it changes overtime,” he said.
In addition to answering these big questions about the Coronavirus, one of the main goals is to
develop a vaccine that eventually could prevent it from spreading.

“With the animal model we will know much more quickly which vaccine works and which
should move on to human study,” he said.

Clinical trials can take anywhere from 1-3 years, but there could be some hope to see a vaccine
sooner.

“From what I have heard from experts with the FDA and CDC is that people expect a vaccine
within a year, so this process may be fast-tracked,” he said.

All of the research is conducted in the Regional Biocontainment Lab.

“Of the seven national primate research centers we are the only one that has a Regional
Biocontainment facility, so we have the largest capacity at this biosafety level in the country to
do this research, ” he said.

While there may be concern of the thought of having coronavirus so close to home, Birnbaum
encouraged residents not to worry.

“We are incredibly equipped and well poised to be able to work with this at the highest level of
safety controls,” she said.

The staff at the facility are required to wear extensive protective gear, and will be tested
regularly for the virus. Birnbaum expressed that the research is in no way a public threat.
“The safety measures that we are taking are far above what you would see in any clinical or
lower-containment laboratory,” she said.